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Roman Philosophy — Philosophia

Twelfth graders explore Roman philosophy — Stoicism and Epicureanism, thinkers like Seneca and Marcus Aurelius, and the ideal of virtūs — ideas about how to live well that still guide people today.

Grade 12Philosophia Rōmāna55 minutes1 class periodClassical LanguagesExplicit teaching4 StandardsACL
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Explore Roman philosophy.
  • ✓Know Stoicism & Epicureanism.
  • ✓Value virtūs.
  • ✓Connect to living well.
Essential Question

How should a person live? Roman philosophers — Stoics and Epicureans — offered timeless answers. What did they teach?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

The Philosophia Explorer

Project this and tap each. Have students learn about Roman philosophy.

🏛️ Explore Roman philosophy — tap eachTry it

The Lesson · Classical Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

55 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — How Should a Person Live?

6 min

Roman philosophers offered timeless answers — what did they teach?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show a Stoic quote.
  • Ask what it means.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Wonder.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Philosophia

13 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to the Philosophia Explorer.
  • Note Stoicism.
  • Note virtūs.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Tap each.
  • Note them.
  • Name.
3

Practice — Practice

15 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Explain a Stoic idea.
  • Explain Epicureanism.
  • Compare them.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Explain.
  • Explain.
  • Compare.
4

Speak — Speak

15 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Share a philosophy you like.
  • Say why.
  • Ask a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Share it.
  • Say why.
  • Ask.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a philosophy.
  • Say what it taught.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the Standards for Classical Language Learning (ACL/ACTFL, Advanced).

ACL
Cultures 2.1

Explore Roman thought.

ACL
Cultures 2.2

Explore cultural products (philosophy).

ACL
Connections 3.2

Connect to ethics.

ACL
Comparisons 4.2

Compare philosophies.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Philosophy cards.
  • Sentence frame: “___ taught ___.”
  • Use short quotes.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with Stoicism and virtūs.
  • Use one idea each.
  • Name one thinker.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Read from the Meditations.
  • Compare Stoic and Epicurean.
  • Apply a Stoic idea.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 📜Philosophy quotes
  • 💻The Philosophia Explorer
  • 📚Seneca / Aurelius
  • ✏️Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

philosophiaphilosophyStōicismusStoicismSenecaSenecavirtūsvirtuesapientiawisdomratiōreasonEpicūrismusEpicureanismanimusmind/soul
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What did Stoicism teach?
Self-control, reason, and virtue as the path to a good life.
QUESTION 2
Who wrote the “Meditations”?
The emperor Marcus Aurelius (a Stoic).
QUESTION 3
What was virtūs?
Virtue/excellence — the core Roman ideal of courage and moral strength.

Reflect: philosophia Rōmāna.

Have students name one Roman philosophy and one idea it taught (like Stoicism → self-control). A printable philosophy sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Roman Philosophy (Philosophia)Flip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Roman Philosophy (Philosophia)Quiz
Score: 0
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Question 1
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Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Roman Philosophy (Philosophia)Print
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: animus, Epicūrismus, philosophia, ratiō, sapientia, Seneca, Stōicismus, virtūs
  1. Epicureanism
  2. mind/soul
  3. Stoicism
  4. Seneca
  5. wisdom
  6. reason
  7. virtue
  8. philosophy

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What did Stoicism teach?
  2. Who wrote the “Meditations”?
  3. What was virtūs?
Answer key — Part A: 1) Epicūrismus · 2) animus · 3) Stōicismus · 4) Seneca · 5) sapientia · 6) ratiō · 7) virtūs · 8) philosophia
Part B: 1) Self-control, reason, and virtue as the path to a good life. 2) The emperor Marcus Aurelius (a Stoic). 3) Virtue/excellence — the core Roman ideal of courage and moral strength.